Showing posts with label blog fun. Show all posts
Showing posts with label blog fun. Show all posts

Wednesday, August 3, 2011

Need Some Motivation




ChristieO is doing a little project to help motivate us in our health and fitness journey. And can I just say it could not have come at a better time for me (and based on what I have been reading I'm not alone)!

So won't you participate? I've already sent her my picture and can hardly wait to see what she has up her sleeve! All you need to do is send Christie a picture and a line describing how that picture made you feel.

Well here is what she says....

■You know those photos you have from racing or race day or perhaps even from training? Send me one! It can be before during or after when you’re a hot smelly mess. In fact, the stinkier the better. They haven’t invented smellovision yet so we’re ok.
■Send your name and blog url so everyone can know where to visit you (yes! exposure for your blog too!) If you don’t have a blog, put your town and state (ex: Tampa, FL) You’ll be famous!
■THEN send me ONE short line of what was going through your head during the photo. Did you finish a marathon? Did you so totally not want to do this race but you were glad you did? Were you proud? Were you hurt? Were you on fire? Did you never think in a million years you’d have just done what you did? Were you defeated inside? Was there drama goin on up there? Give me one line of what you went through or how you got there or what you were thinking.
■Email to christieo@averagemomswearcapes.com
■Then please RT this post so that our fun-loving community of awesome bloggers and friends can get involved! OK? Well that part’s not mandatory but it would be nice to spread the motivation!
■Grab the button below. I will create a list of participating bloggers on my sidebar with their url (feel free to blog about your participation in the project too but don’t share the picture you sent me in that post, it’s a secret until the final project day, ok?)


Go over and see what else she says! She is all kinds of awesome, wouldn't you agree?!

Tuesday, May 3, 2011

Friday, April 1, 2011

ABC's of Me...

It's April Fools Day and my mood all day has been grumpy and irritable, so when I found yet another of my friends doing the ABC's of Me meme I decided that I needed to do it today. Hopefully doing this will lighten my mood!

Age: 45

Bed size: King (and it is heavenly to have space in my bed for me!!)

Chore you dislike: Um, how 'bout all of them? But I think laundry and dusting are my least favorite!

Dogs: Nope (but I'm committed to getting one as soon as we move out of the apartment-- wonder how long we can delay moving into a house?)

Essential start to your day: internet, contact lenses and a hug from That Other Kid

Favorite color: Gray (I know weird) and Red

Gold or silver: white gold, thankyouverymuch

Height: 5'3" (technically 5'2 3/4" but that 1/4 inch makes me feel taller!)

Instruments you play(ed): does the radio, tv, or Ipod count?, although one of my childhood friends did teach me to play chopsticks on the piano when I was 10ish but that doesn't really count, I don't think!

Job title: mom, homeschool teacher, book keeper, and help mate to hubby

Kids: yep, 2 boys - That Kid, 20 (guess I should change that name, huh?) and That Other Kid, 7 (and yes, they are 13 1/2 years apart in age and yes, they both came from the same daddy!)

Live: the suburbs of Dallas, TX

Mom’s name: Virginia

Nicknames: none unless you count mom!

Overnight hospital stays: lots of them; including 2 times for childbirth, broken legs (in traction for my 3rd birthday), tonsilectomy, flu that was treated as if early labor while preggo with That Kid, and numerous trips with That Other Kid while he was an infant/toddler

Pet peeve: doctors that don't treat you with respect, and business people that don't pay their contract people promptly not that I'm bitter or anything

Quote from a movie: "Houston, we have a problem!" -- anyone know what movie?

Righty or Lefty: Righty, although when I was in the 6th grade I broke my right arm and had to do EVERYTHING with my left so if necessary I can do some basic things with my left hand.

Siblings: 3 younger brothers

Time you wake up: depends on when I get woke up! But generally around 9 am

Underwear: yes

Vegetables you don’t like: pretty much all of them...I like carrots, green beans, and salad but that's basically it! corn and tomatoes are not really veggies but if you count them we can add those to the short list!

What makes you run late: under-estimating how long it takes to get organized before leaving the house...finding shoes, keys, wallet, phone, etc.

X-Rays you’ve had: lots (see hospital stays)

Yummy food you make: I've been told I bake well, apple pie and banana bread are the favorites. Hubby says I make "the best french toast" (even better than restuarants) with "fat" bacon.

Zoo animal favorite: penguins, and white bengal tigers


Ok...so play along and let me know you did so I can come over and learn more about you!!

Wednesday, June 23, 2010

500th Post!!! Give-Away and Some Other Stuff!!

Well today is the day...this post is number 500!!

What a journey this has been. I started this blog as a way to make new friends (and boy have I met some great people), record my journey with weight loss and just a general journal of "stuff" that is happening in my life. I have had a great time with it and hope to continue writing it for a long time. It has been a great source of "meeting" people and I have found new and exciting ways to talk about what is happening in my life. I have loved every minute of this blog and hope that in the next few weeks I can get back to writing more consistently. I miss that part, but since my time is so limited now I just don't always have time to sit down and write about my life.

Anywhoooo, I promised something special for this "special" post. I found these great Inspirational Magnets at Walmart this week and decided that they definitely fit into the theme of what this blog means to me. It has been a place to find

"Friendship"



"Dream"




Have some "Faith" in myself and to strengthen my "Faith" in God




and express "Love"



so I would like to give-away these little magnets. They aren't fancy but I thought they were perfect for this occasion. If you are interested in winning these let me know in the comments what one you like best and "why". I will be giving them away this weekend, probably Saturday night so you have till then to leave your comment.

On to the most disturbing part of this blog post...my weigh in for this week with the Sisterhood. A few months back when I had lost enough weight to be down below 200 pounds I promised myself I would NEVER be back to that number. It felt so good to be below 200 pounds finally and I didn't want to see it again. I finally felt like I had accomplished something...and I had. I had lost 26 pounds. Over the past 4 months I have been working 3rd shift at Walmart. It is the first time in 20 years I have had to work full time. It is the first time I have EVER worked overnights. It has been HARDER than anything I have ever had to do, but I have adapted, EXCEPT my weight has been slowly creeping up again. I have picked up some of my bad habits again (cokes and junk food) and I don't have much time to exercise.

Well todayy I got on the scale and guess what disturbing number showed up again!!

200.0 I nearly cried...but decided crying would not help me any. It would probably only make it worse. So instead I decided to make some smart decisions. I will start exercising again. I will start journaling my food intake. I will STOP drinking cokes again. I will start treating my body right again. Just because I have to work 3rd shift doesn't mean I have to be FAT and Work 3rd shift!

Today is a new day...I am just gonna need some encouragement and some help to stay focused...so that is where my friends come into play! Please help me!! I'm going to need it!! So that is where I am...but I am not going to stay here! I will get this weight off and I will continue losing weight...even though my circumstances are not ideal! I am determined!!

Well I gotta go...need a nap before I go to work...please join in my give away! and keep me focused on my continued journey of weight loss!! I need all the help I can get right now!

Sunday, June 20, 2010

Well I Wasn't Real Successful...

at staying in touch with ya'll but at least I am getting better. Only 15 days instead of 1 1/2 months this time! Anyway, there really isn't much to report in my life. Or maybe there is and I'm just too busy to stop and think about it and report it. The most momentus thing that has happened in the past 2 weeks is this



Yes, that's right That Other Kid FINALLY lost his first tooth! According to him "he was NEVER going to lose his first tooth!" It happened this past Thursday while he was at The Karate Kid movie with That Kid. I was blessed enough to be home sleeping! Although I am happy that I got some extra sleep, I was kind of sad to miss such a special event in his little life! Oh well there will be other teeth! He's already talking about the next tooth and when it will come out! We never did the Tooth Fairy with That Kid and hadn't really planned to do it with That Other Kid, but he was so dead set on having the "tooth fairy" show up and give him some money that we decided we would give him a dollar for his first tooth. The most amusing part of this is that dh put the dollar under his pillow while he was sleeping and then it sat there all day long till he went to bed the next night till he found it! It was sooooo stinkin' funny to see the surprised look on his face to see that dollar sitting there under his pillow! He knows that daddy put the money there but kept talking about the "tooth fairy must have come in and put it there while he was sleeping"!! I was cracking up the whole time he was talking about it...and I had to cut his conversation short so I could get to work! I laughed the rest of the night!!

Next on our agenda -- Toy Story 3. We saw that Saturday morning as a whole family! It was a great movie and well worth the time and money to see it. True to Toy Story/Pixar form the movie held the whole family's attention and had us all laughing throughout! Definitely a movie to purchase when it comes out on DVD. After the movie we celebrated Father's Day and went out to eat. After That Other Kid was in bed Dh and I watched a movie on Netflix. We called it a "at home date". Unfortunately I chose a movie that really was nothing special. Strange how a movie can sound pretty decent on the reviews and then turn out to be basically a flop when you are watching it. It was described as a 'romantic comedy' but there really wasn't much comedic or romantic about it. It wasn't a BAD movie, just not anything worth the 2 hours that it took to watch it. I hope I'm not the only person that feels like a "date movie" should be something entertaining.

In other news that I feel I must update on -- my WEIGHT!! It had been holding steady over the first couple of months of me working, but over the past 1 1/2 months it has increased some every week. I am approaching that dreaded 200 pound mark again and I promised myself that I would NEVER reach that decade again. I need to start "really" exercising again and really watching my food intake, cut out the cokes and junk food which has been increasing as my weight has. Hum....wonder if there is a connection?? NO, I don't have to wonder I know it's true. Now to find a way to squeeze in exercise. I'm contemplating joining the gym that I drive by every morning on the way home from work and stopping in for 30 minutes and getting a good workout before I come home to sleep. Working out at home just seems to be really difficult right now since I have so little time with That Other Kid and to accomplish all my normal household tasks. Opinions would be appreciated....

I was looking at my stats and noticed that the next time I post it will be my 500th post! Wow!! That is amazing to me that I have written that many post. Seems like such a short time ago that I started writing here. I'm glad I did...it has helped me tremendously. Theraputic as well as great for building friendships! I love blogging...just wish I had more time to do it right now!! So, for my next post I'm going to try and come up wtih something really special. Maybe a give away, or meme or who knows....I just know I'm going to make it happen sometime this week, so stay tuned!!

Have a Great Father's Day and a wonderful week!!

Tuesday, February 2, 2010

Tiny Talk Tuesday




Tiny Talk Tuesday celebrates our children and their view of the world. They continually make us laugh and by recording their Tiny Talk we can focus on one of the many JOYS of parenting! If your kiddos made you laugh this week (don't they always), then feel free to share the humor! Check out more Tiny Talks with Mary.

We've had a pretty low key week this week as far as comments from That Other Kid but a couple have stood out in my mind. Money has been tight for us the past year, so just going to the store and buying "whatever we want" hasn't happened in a long time. Apparently, That Other Kid doesn't see it that way.

TOK: "Why won't you buy me that Star Wars Lego set? It only costs $100 and you have lots of hundreds of dollars. Daddy just got a bunch of them."(It was actually only 6 of them for a project he got to do over the weekend - PTL!)

Me: "Because we have bills to pay, rent to pay, gas to put in the truck, and groceries to buy."

TOK: "Why can't I have some of that money? I NEVER (with a very dramatic eye roll) get ANYTHING!! You ALWAYS get to buy whatever you want!"

Me: "Yes, I am buying what I want....a warm place to live, gas for the car, and groceries. You are going to get something too...You are going to get some food to eat, a nice warm place to sleep, and a mommy and daddy who love you."

TOK: "But I want legos!!"

Legos must be really cool if they rate higher than food, shelter, and gas for the car!!

The other day I was on the computer and TOK was bored so what did he do? He got out a math book and started working the problems in it! The book had a lot of double digit addition problems (he hasn't gotten that far along in math yet) but he was determined to solve the problems anyway!

He started adding the problems with his fingers, but they got too difficult to even do that, so he just started asking what the answers were!

TOK: "What is 12 + 15?"
Me: "27"

TOK: "What is 12 + 12? Oh, wait! I know what that is. It's 24, right?"
Me: "Yes, that's right. How did you know that?"
TOK: "I don't know...I guess I just have a good memory! Besides I'm kinda smart with math!"

Kinda humble, too!!

Enjoy those kiddos...

Tuesday, January 26, 2010

Tiny Talk Tuesday




Tiny Talk Tuesday celebrates our children and their view of the world. They continually make us laugh and by recording their Tiny Talk we can focus on one of the many JOYS of parenting! If your kiddos made you laugh this week (don't they always), then feel free to share the humor! Check out more Tiny Talks with Mary.

The past couple of weeks have been rather unusual for our household. Instead of having one 6 year old boy in the house, I have had 2 of them! One of my friends needed to go to Pennsylvania to help care for her ailing MIL and FIL. Our boys get along pretty well (for the most part) so he came over during the day to hang with us while dad worked and big brother did school. Some interesting conversations were heard between the two boys this week so I thought I would share with you. I also want to tell you that I am SO THANKFUL THAT GOD KNEW I COULDN'T HANDLE 2 young boys at the same time....that's why he decided to bless me with 2 boys, but seperated by 13 years!!

I will call our friends little boy "the lion"...if you knew them you would understand why...but that's all I'm saying about that!!

The Lion: "I don't want to play that with you, it's boring".
That Other Kid: "Ok, what do you want to play?"
The Lion: "Um...I think I want to play that with you. Maybe it will not be boring!"


During a rare time when I managed to get them to both work on school work at the same time this conversation was heard:

The Lion: "Handwriting is my mostest favorite thing to do for school."
That Other Kid: "Math is my bestest thing....cuz I'm good at it! I know what 6 times 9 is...it's 63!" (Of course he doesn't bother to tell his friend that he learned it by watching a tv show!)
The Lion: "I don't know what "time" is. My mom hasn't told me that yet!"

Both boys are extremely competitive and it was nearly the death of me over the past 2 weeks!

The Lion: "Ha, your mom is starting school with me first!!"
That Other Kid: "Why do you always start school with him first? I want to be first, cuz I am YOUR kid!"

Do you think I would have heard that from a kid in public school?? I think not!!

I love my friend and her kiddo, but I am so happy to have just 1 kiddo in my house today!!

Tuesday, January 12, 2010

Tiny Talk Tuesday




Tiny Talk Tuesday celebrates our children and their view of the world. They continually make us laugh and by recording their Tiny Talk we can focus on one of the many JOYS of parenting! If your kiddos made you laugh this week (don't they always), then feel free to share the humor! Check out more Tiny Talks with Mary.

As a homeschooling momma I have joy and (sometimes frustration) of help my kiddo learn to read, do math and all the other wonderful things he has to learn to be a well rounded student/person. As a general rule teaching That Other Kid has been a breeze compared to what I had to go through with That Kid. However, since we started back with school the Monday after the New year it hasn't been such a breeze!

Over the past week he/we have struggled with putting the toys and video games away long enough to concentrate on school. I have struggled with juggling all the chores, computer time and helping dh with his job search.

Today was the day that shall go down in history as our most unfocused day "so far"!!

I am using "Hooked on Phonics" for Phonics and learning to read. Up to this point it has been great. Some days he struggles with focusing on the reading, but most days he is excited to do it because he knows he is learning to read. Yesterday we started school and he seemed to be unfocused but did ok with everything. Till reading time. He was supposed to read the words: On, And, Is, The. He listened to the speaker, and repeated. Then it came time to read it for himself.

This is the scenario from yesterday.

TOK:
"On
And
Is
The"

"On
And
Is
ummmmm I forgot"

"On
And
Is
ummmmm I don't remember"

"On
And
Is
ummmmm I have a bad memory"

At that point (after helping him numerous times to "remember" I gave up) and said we would work on it tomorrow.

So today's scenario went something like this --
We read through the words with the tape PERFECTLY! Then I turned off the tape and had him read through the words. First time through he read the words, perfectly again! Then the troubles started!

TOK:
"On
And
Is
And"

"On
And
Is
Is"

"On
And
Is
On"

Me: "No, the word is THE. Look at the word and spell it out!"

TOK: "I don't have a good memberer and I don't remember what that word is."

Me: "Yes, you do. You just need to concentrate. Try it again!" So we go through the words again. ON, AND, IS, THE! "Read the words to me again..."

TOK: "On, And, Is, On. On, And, Is, The. On, And, Is, I don't remember! I don't have a good memory!"

After working on this for at least an hour, I told him we were done with school.

5 minutes later he read his brother's name on a video game!! He also told his brother what 9 + 9 equals!! Um....do you think he had a focus problem today!! Or maybe a mental block about the word THE!!

Monday, January 11, 2010

Mom's Going to Bed...Eventually!!

A friend sent me this as an email this weekend and it made me realize just how much we as women/moms do that just come second nature to us. It is how things get done in our homes regardless of whether we are stay at home moms or work for pay moms. It is the way of women....selfless and nurturing....



Mom and Dad were watching TV when Mom said, "I'm tired, and it's getting late. I think I'll go to bed".

She went to the kitchen to make sandwiches for the next day's lunches. Rinsed out the popcorn bowls,took meat out of the freezer for supper the following evening, checked the cereal box levels, filled the sugar container, put spoons and bowls on the table and started the coffee pot for brewing the next morning. She then put some wet clothes in the dryer, put a load of clothes into the washer, ironed a shirt and secured a loose button.

She picked up the game pieces left on the table, put the phone back on the charger and put the telephone book into the drawer. She watered the plants, emptied a wastebasket and hung up a towel to dry.

She yawned and stretched and headed for the bedroom. She stopped by the desk and wrote a note to the teacher, counted out some cash for the field trip, and pulled a text book out from hiding under the chair.

She signed a birthday card for a friend, addressed and stamped the envelope and wrote a quick note for the grocery store. She put both near her purse. Mom then washed her face with 3 in 1 cleanser, put on her Night solution & age fighting moisturizer, brushed and flossed her teeth and filed her nails.

Dad called out, "I thought you were going to bed."

"I'm on my way," she said. She put some water into the dog's dish and put the cat outside, then made sure the doors were locked and the patio light was on. She looked in on each of the kids and turned out their bedside lamps and TV's, hung up a shirt, threw some dirty socks into the hamper, and had a brief conversation with the one up still doing homework.

In her own room, she set the alarm; laid out clothing for the next day, straightened up the shoe rack. She added three things to her 6 most important things to do list. She said her prayers, and visualized the accomplishment of her goals.

About that time, Dad turned off the TV and announced to no one in particular. "I'm going to bed."
And he did...without another thought.
Anything extraordinary here? Wonder why women live longer...?

CAUSE WE ARE MADE FOR THE LONG HAUL..... (and we can't die sooner, we still have things to do!!!!)

Thursday, January 7, 2010

3 Things....

so...over at the Sisterhood we are talking about 3 interesting/funny/embarrassing things that have happened to us.

I've been thinking about this for a while this afternoon and I guess I'm pretty boring or I block out things that embarrass me because I can't really think of much.

I did come up with a few things that most people outside of my family don't know about me:

1) I fall asleep EVERY.SINGLE.TIME a Star Wars Movie comes on tv! I even fell asleep at the Theatre when dh took me to see one of the movies. I can't even remember which one, but dh tells me to put in a disc of Star Wars if he thinks I need a nap now!! I guess I'll never live that one down!

2) I weighed 105 pounds when I got married back in 1984! I wore a size 5 wedding dress! I was also 19 years old....I am under no allusion that I will be that size again! Nor do I want to. I'm wearing a size 14 now, and it's gone down 2 sizes since I started working out and exercising. Man I was thin!!

3) Since Brooke admitted to being a "phantom pharter" I should also admit to the same! I do it while sitting at my computer and blame others in the house!! It's easy to do because I have a 6 year old who thinks its cool.

So what are your embarrassing moments??

2009 In Review

Today's You Capture Assignment was to document 2009 in photos. I'm not famous for taking pictures but I usually get the camera out for the "special stuff". So I am showing some of our special events of 2009!


That Kid's First Junior's Level Hockey game to officiate!



That Other Kid at the Gainesville Zoo with his best friend!



That Other Kid -- as goalie!!


Both my boys on the ice at the same time!! What a special mommy moment!!


A little brotherly love!! So glad That Kid came home from college to hang out with his brother!!


Re-engergizing after a game of football in the backyard!!


Me -- at the beginning of my weight loss journey! Can you tell I wasn't happy??



Me -- about 9 months after starting on my weight loss journey! 35 pounds lighter than in March...at least I was a little happier, right??

I can't wait to see what 2010 brings for our family!!

Monday, December 14, 2009

Wow!!

I can't believe it has been 5 days since I have written anything here. Time is just slip, slipping away from me. Things have been busy and fun in preparation for Christmas and I guess I just let time get away from me. That Other Kid and I went to the mall on Thursday to see Santa. We don't really "do" Santa (I know I'm evil for spoiling all the fun of childhood), but we do allow him to have fun with the season. He told "Santa" what he wanted for Christmas and I took his picture. We also went and saw the Miniature display of trains (amazing!!)and a couple of puppet shows. It was a great way to get ME in the Christmas spirit. It seems like I am just too busy this year to give it a whole lot of thought...but that doesn't mean I'm not getting into Christmas this year. It's just taking me a little longer!

This weekend we also had a hockey game for That Other Kid and he got to play goalie! He was super excited about it, and played a great game.




I have been playing the Game On Diet with some friends. Friday night we will have our celebration dinner and I think we are all looking forward to it. Today we decided that since "the other team" won (meaning the team I wasn't on) we would not count points this week, so basically yesterday was the end of the game for us. We all had success and lost weight which was the whole point of it. I lost about 8 pounds during this 5 week period which included Thanksgiving, the flu, our move and all the stresses involved in these things. My exercise routine got completely disrupted during this time as well as my "normal" eating schedule. I feel like I could have done better had I done this at a different time, but was still successful at busting past some of my nasty habits and a plateau I had been stuck on for several months. I'm not pleased with my point count, but I am pleased with what I did accomplish. I'm also happy that my friends asked me to join in and participate with them in this. I really didn't want to (at first), but am glad I did! I don't really plan to change the way I am eating now, because I saw success, but I am glad I don't have to count my points anymore! I bumped my exercise up last night and today I am sore, which tells me I need to keep it up...

Oh and I won again over at the Sisterhood. This time I won one of the 12 Weight Watchers Chocolate Pecan Clusters that they were giving away yesterday! What a yummy treat I will receive in January!



If you want a chance to win some yummy Weight Watcher products check in over at the Sisterhood, because they are giving away product EVERY day till Christmas! Great presents for us from Weight Watchers and the Sisterhood of Shrinking Jeans!

Well I gotta go fold some laundry and clean a bathroom and finish loading the dishwasher then get That Other Kid to bed....ya know just normal mom stuff!

Tuesday, December 8, 2009

Tiny Talk Tuesday - Moving is Tough




Tiny Talk Tuesday celebrates our children and their view of the world. They continually make us laugh and by recording their Tiny Talk we can focus on one of the many JOYS of parenting! If your kiddos made you laugh this week (don't they always), then feel free to share the humor! Check out more Tiny Talks with Mary.


Over the past couple of weeks we have been in the midst of moving. We are finally moved in but over the past couple of weeks we have had some interesting conversations with That Other Kid! Here are just a few of them:

"Why do we have to move away from this house? Can't the "landlords" just let us live here forever?"
My response was, "No, they need to let someone else live in the house for a while. We have lived here for 6 years and it's someone else's turn."

"But can't I just take my room with us? It is my room!!"

"What about karate? Are they moving too? I don't want to miss out on karate!"
"No, karate isn't moving, but you still get to attend! We will just drive over there once a week and see all your other friends!"

Then I reminded him of all the benefits of living in the new place...being close to two of his friends, being close to the ice rink, being close to great parks and having his tv in his room....which he has never had. He still wasn't too sure about this move but he has adapted well this week. He is even spending time in his room!! This is a great thing to me, since he HATES to be alone!!

Moving is tough for all of us, but I love how kids are so resilient!

Tuesday, November 17, 2009

Tiny Tot -- Sickness




Tiny Talk Tuesday celebrates our children and their view of the world. They continually make us laugh and by recording their Tiny Talk we can focus on one of the many JOYS of parenting! If your kiddos made you laugh this week (don't they always), then feel free to share the humor! Check out more Tiny Talks with Mary.


Today I decided to waste a little more time on the computer and actually write a post! I know, I know....I'm busy with packing and stuff but it's gonna be short, and I want to share the joys of illness with the world! Yesterday afternoon That Other Kid was pretty normal -- skating around the house, playing legos, watching movies, begging me to play games with him (which I did while signing up for phone/internet/cable service online)!! Gott love modern technology!

Fast forward to 6 p.m.-- That Other Kid says his "allergies" are bothering him and he's tired. He actually asked me if it was time for bed!!?? Ok, that should have been the first signal that he didn't feel good, but I was on the computer dealing with moving stuff! Next thing I know he's being quiet and I look over and he's curled up in the rocking chair ASLEEP!! Oh man!! What is up with that?? At 6:40 p.m. he's still asleep so I move him to his bed. He doesn't wake up and he's BURNING with fever! Oh no!! It's gonna be a long night (and it was!). At 8 p.m. he woke up thinking it was MORNING time...before he could even walk out of his room he vomits on the bedroom floor (carpet of course). I guess the good thing is we are leaving this house in 1 week so I won't have to clean it!! The landlords need to replace carpet so, whatever!

After calming him down he proceeds to tell me he "got sicks on him". I took him to the bathroom, had him pee, changed his clothes into jammies, then let him come out to the living room. I gave him some Zyrtec, and some Tylenol and let him have a piece of bread. I got him back to bed and asleep about 9:30 p.m. Not bad, if I do say so myself!

About 11:30 he woke up again and "got sicks" but this time he made it to the bathroom! He wanted to sleep in bed with me, but I wasn't ready for bed yet, so made him sleep in his own bed and promised I would stay with him till he went to sleep.
About 2:30 a.m. he woke up again and this time I let him sleep with me -- for about an hour when he "got sickies" again -- this time in my bedroom floor! See a pattern here?? Getting out of bed seems to be bad for my floors!

I told him I would sleep with him if he wanted company and he informed me "that you are too big to sleep in my bed, but when you get skinny maybe you can!!" Wow!! That's definitely a good reason to get "skinny"!

Got him back to his bed until about 6 a.m. when he "got sickies" again....bathroom again! He slept with me till 8:30 when he declared it was "time to get up"!! He got up and laid on the couch until about 15 minutes ago...(1 p.m.)he hasn't vomited anymore but the fever is still there! UGH!! Not what I need 1 week to move time!

Well I gotta go...gotta get some more packing done and try to get That Other Kid healthy again! So much to do, so little time!!

Thursday, November 12, 2009

Real Life -- You Capture




This week over at Beth's she wants us to take pictures of "real life" at our house. I assure you there is nothing exciting about these "real life" pictures. I am smack dab in the middle of preparing for a move...so what you see is pretty ugly for real life!

Boxes, boxes, boxes! and empty bookcases!! and piles of laundry!! That's my real life!


I'm trying to keep them contained and mostly neat, cuz our landlords are showing the house every couple of days and I don't want them to trip over boxes!!




Real life is also about a big pile of laundry I need to fold and put away so we can sit, but that's not happening right now because I have to go play legos with That Other Kid!!

Thursday, October 29, 2009

You Capture -- Autumn

Over at Beth's today she is hosting a "Autumn" You Capture. I haven't been over yet but I can hardly wait to see all the different takes on Autumn. Here in North Texas we don't have the traditional kind of autumn where the leaves turn beautiful hues of reds, oranges, and yellows. Instead we celebrate autumn a little differently! We have constant RAIN!or at least we do this year...we've had well over 8 inches of rain this month and guess what?? It's not done yet! UGH....soooo tired of rain! Anywhoooo, since seeing pictures of constant rain usually doesn't excite too many people (unless you are suffering from a severe drought, and if you are I'm sorry) I decided to shoot a different kind of Autumn perspective for you!

Yesterday we (meaning That Other Kid and I) went to the big American Airlines Center facility in downtown Dallas and we were given a tour of the facility and all that goes into preparing for a HOCKEY GAME! and let me tell you for a little boy that lives and breathes hockey he was in HEAVEN! We got to watch the Toronto Maple Leafs practice and stand up against the glass...some of them even banged into the glass for the kids! He was one happy boy!



We got to see the Zamboni up close and personal -- he tried to touch it but they caught him just in time to stop him from doing that!

Here are a few shots of the kids during the tour...of course That Other Kid was being hammy for the camera. His friends were none too excited to have their pictures taken -- oh well at least there is proof that they were there too, right??!!





After the tour we went outside and had a picnic lunch (or at least tried to before it started raining again). While we were getting set up for our picnic the local news station was ending their broadcast and so they took a flash shot of him and some of the others that participated in the tour! My kid was on tv, folks! and my friend caught it in this flash on the 50' Platinum screen out in the AT&T Plaza with her camera!! so this shot is courtesy of my friend. That Other Kid is the little one the far right and her son is right next to him! What a great way to end the morning field trip!



This is what my attempt at getting that same shot got me!! Good thing my friend's camera is better than mine!



Then last night we got to go back to the AAC and watch the Stars play the Maple Leafs. That Other Kid was in HEAVEN again! His friend had never been to a hockey game and was very enthralled by it all! It was even more exciting because the Stars won the game in Overtime --
4-3!! YEAH...Go Stars!! What a great way to end a very exciting day of Autumn Fun!!

Tuesday, October 27, 2009

Tiny Talk Tuesday



Tiny Talk Tuesday celebrates our children and their view of the world. They continually make us laugh and by recording their Tiny Talk we can focus on one of the many JOYS of parenting! If your kiddos made you laugh this week (don't they always), then feel free to share the humor! Check out more Tiny Talks with Mary.


Today is Tuesday and I'm finally getting a chance to sit down at my computer (thanks to dh's monitor) and type out a Tiny Talk dialogue! There have been many discussions going on around here about moving, since we are moving out of the only house That Other Kid has ever known (or lived in) in just a few short weeks. Thanksgiving Week to be exact! Nothing like moving over the holidays to reduce this already stressful time, right?!!

Anywhoooo, first discussion was about packing all our stuff into boxes.

"Mom why do we have to put all our stuff in boxes? Why can't we just put everything in the truck and carry it over to the new house like that?"
Uh, yeah can you just picture that one? Let's just load up all those thousands of little lego pieces and toss them in the truck and see how many we end up with in the new place!

Next funny happened the afternoon we went over to actually look at the apartment unit we are going to live in. We went over to measure some things and just take a look at the actual unit. Of course it's empty right now, so appearances are deceiving! "Mom, this place IS HUGE!!!! We'll have PLENTY OF ROOM FOR ALL MY STUFF and all your stuff too!"

Now the funny thing about this statement is we are moving out of a 1800+ square ft home into a 1300 sq. ft. apartment! Yeah....we'll have lots of room, huh?!! (Thus the reason we are selling most everything we don't use on a regular basis!!

The final thing before leaving the apartment That Other Kid said was the thing that cracked me up and still makes me laugh everytime I think about it. He opened the sliding glass door and said, "Where's the BACKYARD?? Where will I play?"
I told him, there is no backyard but we can set the basketball goal/net up on the patio (about 2" x 6") and play there! I also told him there is a park nearby and a couple of good friends to play with so we will adapt and have close friends!!

That seemed to make him happy! Friends always make a new place seem more special!

Tuesday, October 6, 2009

Entertaining Tiny Talk Tuesday



Tiny Talk Tuesday celebrates our children and their view of the world. They continually make us laugh and by recording their Tiny Talk we can focus on one of the many JOYS of parenting! If your kiddos made you laugh this week (don't they always), then feel free to share the humor! Check out more Tiny Talks with Mary.



This morning in the "Big D" is foggy and rainy and dreary and blah!! So I'm movin' even slower than I normally do in the mornin' time. I just HATE dreary days....they really grate on my nerves....anywhoooo...

As I sit here watching That Other Kid play Mario Kart on the Wii I'm listening to his rambling conversations with himself and trying really hard not to laugh out loud! He is so comical without even trying.

So here are some of the things he is saying as he plays his favorite video game of the day:

That Other Kid -- "Get ahead, boy! You don't want to lose, do you?"
"B-b-b-b-b I know what starts with "B"! The word bed! and I think I know how to spell it too...B-E-D !!

Me -- "That's right, bed is spelled B-E-D! What else starts with "B"?

That Other Kid -- "Bell starts with "b", too! and so does boy!"

I love how he will just sit and play and try to figure out what letter the words he would normally say, start with! It makes me realize that I am doing something right with my little boy!

It also makes me realize that "all the time is learning time" not just when we have a designated "school time"!!

Tuesday, September 29, 2009

Tiny Talk Tuesday -- School Time



Tiny Talk Tuesday celebrates our children and their view of the world. They continually make us laugh and by recording their Tiny Talk we can focus on one of the many JOYS of parenting! If your kiddos made you laugh this week (don't they always), then feel free to share the humor! Check out more Tiny Talks with Mary.

As a homeschooling mom I get the distinct pleasure of watching my child learn something new every day! This is the most exciting part of homeschooling for me.
This week has started off well for us in the school department. Time to just spend learning and doing -- as well as playing! That is one of the most important parts of learning, I think (at least for a boy).

Yesterday, That Other Kid was working on a worksheet. Just 3 weeks ago, he hated working in this book, but he has really started enjoying it. You have to write the lower case and upper case letters as well as color the picture. The picture is color coded according to upper case letters and lower case letters, so he has to pay attention to the picture and color it according to right colors.

While he was working on this page he was looking at the colors and trying to figure out for himself what colors to color the picture. He looked at the word "red" and SOUNDED IT OUT!! phonetically!! I was so stinkin' proud of him. Phonics is not his strength, but he is GETTING IT!!

He has been walking around the house sounding out letters and trying to figure out how they sound! It's soooo exciting for me to see him sorting it out "on his own"!

Just another day in the life of a homeschooling mom with a kindergarten boy!!

Thursday, September 17, 2009

You Capture -- Up Close



"Up close" is the topic of this week for Beth's photo meme. This one was actually pretty easy for me. I am usually pretty close to That Other Kid, as he hangs out wherever I am. He decided that our living room needed to have a race track as well as a bucket of Legos to occupy space with us today so since there wasn't much room left for actual movement he was within inches of me while I was sitting here wasting time instead of being productive!

So I snapped a picture with my handy dandy Blackberry phone of him building the loop part of the race track. Can you tell how intense this exercise was to him? His hands were struggling to snap those pieces together and for some reason he struggled for a few minutes with it! He asked why are you taking a picture of me now....I told him I wanted to! Oh, ok!! so long as I have a reason, huh?!!

Check out all the other pictures of "Up Close" over at Beth's. You won't be disappointed!